We All Fall Down
by MuslimBarbie
Summary: "Why would we give up all this? Why would anyone?" Amy and the Doctor say their goodbyes.
1. Amy

_We All Fall Down_  
Word count: 1358.  
Disclaimer: If I owned it, it would have been canon. The quotes are from Amy's Choice.

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"**Why would we give up all this? Why would anyone?"**

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Sometimes Amy thinks she is the luckiest girl in the universe.

After the wedding, things fall together perfectly. She gets Rory and she gets her Doctor; her loving husband and her imagery friend, both back from the dead before she can even realise they are gone. She kisses Rory under one of Saturn's moon's light; she fights mummies with her Doctor. And the best bit is that there are no awkward moments, no tense conversations, no pressure to bloody _choose_. They're both her boys and they know they each have their place. It really is everything she could ask for and more. She has her cake and eats it too!

On that particular morning, Rory isn't there when she wakes up. She doesn't think anything of it; he has always been an early bird, much her displeasure. Still, she's used to it now. So she stretches, washes up, and dresses in her favourite red blouse. Because today will be a good day; she just knows it. A day for a great adventure; a story she will remember for the rest of her life. Maybe they will even go to an exciting new planet. Hell, maybe they'll _finally_ end up in Rio.

Only, life's a first rate bitch and has had it out for her ever since she was seven.

When she gets to the control room, she doesn't find Rory excited for Rio; she doesn't hear the Doctor rambling on about to wonders of some extraordinary new planet. No, instead she finds an extremely cross pair of boys. She doesn't catch exactly what it is they're arguing about, but she decides she will shut them up first and then figure it out.

Only things can never be that simple. Not with her Doctor. "Stay out of it, Amelia. This doesn't concern you."

Oh, like hell it doesn't!

At one point, that might have been enough to stop her – to send her away like a child put in time out – but not now. No, she has been with him far too long to put up with that sort of attitude now. And if there is one thing that the Doctor should know about her by now, it's that she never listens to what he tells her to do. She does not let him get away with things so easily.

They have argued before, but not like this. Before, one of them always gave up, backed down; before one of them was always willing to lose to keep the peace. This time, however, is different. They say things that have been building up for too long; things that they may or may not actually mean. They yell, they scream, until she is standing there so angry, so upset, so _hurt_, that she can't recall why it is that they could possibly be doing this to one another.

"Take us home." The words spill out of her mouth before she can think about them, but she doesn't take them back.

He stares at her for a moment, judging her to see if she really means it. She straightens her shoulders and meets his eyes. She means it alright. Because if this is who she is left with, if this is what her Doctor has suddenly become – this hard, mean, old man, who would do anything, say anything to hurt her – she does not want anything more to do with him. Finally, he nods, a strange look in his eyes, before he turns to the TARDIS.

She's still cross when they land in Leadworth. She doesn't say another word to him; she just grabs Rory by the hand and pulls him out the door. She hears the Doctor's footsteps behind them, but doesn't turn around and face him.

It's not until they are across her yard and almost to the door that she realises that Rory is not stopping her, is not fighting her orders like he should. It is not until then that she notices the relieved look in his eyes, remembers the defeated one in the Doctor's. It is not until that moment that she realises that the hard, mean, old man in the TARDIS is not her Doctor, because he would never do that to her. Never.

"No…" she whispers, refusing to believe the impossible idea that suddenly settles in the back of her mind. She pulls her hand away from Rory's as if he has burned her. He says something to her, but she does not hear what it is; her mind is racing too quickly now. "No, no, no," Amy cries and spins on her heel. She doesn't think she has ever run so fast. "No!"

She catches the Doctor as he is about to shut the TARDIS door. He spins around with slightly widened eyes when he hears her. And then he smiles. He smiles in that proud way that he reserves only for her, but it's not right; it is her smile alright, but it is too sad, too broken, too defeated. And it scares her, because the last time she saw that smile was right before the Pandorica flew away.

"Amy, Amy, Amy." He steps to her and takes her head between his hands. "I should have known," he mumbles and closes his eyes; he suddenly seems so very old. "Amy – mad, impossible, _magnificent_ Amy – you were always clever. Clever Amelia Pond." He presses his forehead against hers.

And that is all it takes, because suddenly she sees everything: Rory's fear that she was getting too far in, the Doctor's concern that soon she would not be able to go back, their worry that she would never be able to leave. She sees their entire plan, the whole set-up, everything they did to convince her that she needed to go home. Because _she_ had to do it; if she didn't say it, she would never go.

But more than that, she sees her Doctor. That he did it all so that she could return to her life and live as normally as possible. Even if it meant she hated him for the rest of it. She sees the man who is too lonely, too old, too _kind_ to ever do her wrong.

"Hey," he mumbles while her mind is still spinning. "Got'cha." He presses his lips against her forehead for a moment that seems to last forever but is too quick all the same; and then he lets her go and steps back.

He is already in the locked TARDIS by the time it all catches up to her, but that doesn't stop her. "No, no, no!" She pounds on the door. "Doctor, open the door. _Doctor_!" She yells, shaking the door by the handle.

But he does not answer and she feels the blue box fading beneath her fingers. She feels Rory's arms grab her around the waist and pull her back; she does her best to hold onto the phone booth, but the tears blur her vision too much and she cannot see straight. But she hears it, hears the machine fade away, and she can feel her heart breaking.

"No!" She stomps on Rory's foot. It's enough to distract him and she breaks away from him and runs forward.

And for that one moment, that one breath, that one slim bit of time, she thinks she will make it. She lets herself believe she will catch him before he leaves her again. But the TARDIS slips away before she can reach it, taking her Doctor away with it again. And suddenly, it is as if she is seven, as if she is nineteen, and he is slipping away from her the moment she truly thought she had him. Because she's never been lucky enough to keep him, not for long. Only this time, it's different. This time, she knows she's lost him for good. This time, her Doctor won't return.

Amy feels her legs give out beneath her and she falls to the ground.

She does not fight the soul-wracking cry that follows.

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"**We have to grow up eventually."**

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**Note: **This was originally part of a larger Eleven/Amy/Rory fic I wanted to write, but changed my mind about. Still, this scene stuck out to me and I couldn't not write it. Special thanks to **Muffintine** for beta-ing!

Review, please.


	2. Eleven

_We All Fall Down_  
Word count: 1358.  
Disclaimer: If I owned it, it would have been canon.  
The quote at the end contains **possible spoilers for season six**.

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All it takes is a sentence. A single one. That's all; nothing more, nothing less. All the space creatures, the time villains, the annoying baddies who do not know when to give up; they all seem so little when compared to a single sentence. One sentence; four little words. That is all it takes to turn his entire existence upside-down and all wibbly-wobbly. It's almost funny, he supposes, in some sort of twisted way.

"I'm worried about Amy."

And so it begins. Or finishes; depends on how you look at it, really.

Rory tells him everything, every concern, every last fear. He's afraid Amy is falling too deep into their travels, that she is losing herself. He says more than that, though. Of course he does; Rory always has more to say to him.

Not that it matters. No, not in the slightest, because he already knows. Of course he does; you do not get to be as old, as wise, as experienced as him without realising these things on your own. The more time she spends on the TARDIS, the more time she spends with him, the further she separates herself from Leadworth. And the further she separates herself, the harder it will be to go back. He doesn't want her to go, but he knows that if she doesn't go now, she will not ever be able to. And he will not do that to her; won't take away the little chance of normalcy she has left. Won't do it; _can't_ do it.

Not that she will ever go back if she knows what they're thinking. No, no, that would be far too simple, far too easy. Amy is more complicated than that; she is too bloody stubborn for that. In fact, it would only serve to encourage her. Because if there is one thing he has learnt about his mad, wild, impossible Amy, it is that you _never_ tell her what to do. It only makes her want to do the opposite. He could drop her off in Leadworth without another word and she would find a way back, just to spite him. No, no, she will never leave, not unless it's _her_ idea.

So they formulate a plan. It is not a particularly complex one. No, far from it, actually. It's simple, easy, but it'll do the trick.

It is not difficult, picking an argument with Rory. Even less to provoke Amy; she has always had a bit of a temper, honestly. No, those are the easy bits. The hard part, the part that kills him, is the way he treats her.

"Stay out of it, Amelia. This doesn't concern you."

He has yelled at her in the past, and the universe knows she has shouted at him before. They have little spats here and there – it is bound to happen when you spend as much time together as they do, after all – but never like this. No, usually one of them backs down. Usually one of them knows that the fighting is not worth it. Usually one of them is willing to put their friendship, their companionship, their entire relationship before a stupid fight. But not this time.

"Take us home," she says the words he has been waiting for at last.

And then, more than anything else, he wants to stop. He wants to hug her, grab her forehead and kiss it, and tell her he does not mean any of it. He doesn't want her to leave; they have been through so much, she means so much to him now. But he cannot do that. He knows he cannot. It's not right; it is not fair, not to her. Because she _needs_ to go back now, needs to return to little, dull, normal Leadworth or she never will; because if she does not go back now, he really will ruin her life and he won't do that to her. Can't do that to her.

Once the TARDIS lands, Amy doesn't miss a beat. She doesn't 't stop to gather any of the things she has collected, does not pause to reconsider. No, she doesn't even give him a second glance. All she does is grab Rory's hand and drag him out. And he follows them; without stopping, without thinking about it, he follows them.

Because it cannot be this simple, this easy! No, not this time, not with her. His Amy – his beautiful, brave, fantastic _Amy_ – is not meant to give up this easily. She is quick, she is clever, and she is brilliant. She's supposed to see through him at times like this. Getting rid of her is not meant to be this _easy_!

Only, it really seems to be.

He stops three steps outside of the TARDIS and watches them storm off. But not for long. No, not for long at all. He cannot bear the sight of seeing them leave him so easily, and he turns back before she can even reach her door. Maybe it is better this way, without a real goodbye. It will hurt less in the long run, he supposes.

"Doctor!"

He hears her before he can shut the door and spins on his heel. And sure enough, there she is, his magnificent Amy Pond. He smiles, because he doesn't have to think about it; he just knows that she has caught on. Probably not completely, but she has figured out that it was not real, not a bit of what he said. She never could let things be easy. No, not her, not his Amy Pond; simple and easy have never been her way. And as proud as it makes him, it breaks his hearts in the slightest.

"Amy, Amy, Amy," he mumbles as he steps to her and takes her head between his hands. "I should have known," he breathes, closing his eyes. "Amy – mad, impossible Amy – you always were clever. Clever Amelia Pond." He presses his forehead against hers.

And just like that, he lets her see everything; shows every last bit of his and Rory's plan. She already knows something isn't right so there's no point in hiding it now. If he doesn't tell her, she will just drag it out of Rory later and he cannot bear her knowing like that. She would murder him if he did; it won't matter how far away he is, because Amy – his brilliant, magnificent, _stubborn_ Amy – will find a way to do it just to prove her point.

"Hey," he mumbles. He knows she won't answer. No, of course not. Not while her human brain is trying to comprehend everything. "Got'cha." He presses his lips against her forehead one last time before he steps back into the TARDIS. He doesn't dare linger; won't linger; can't linger. If he lingers, she will stop him. His Amy is too stubborn to let him go; she will fight him to the end. And he is afraid she will win. So no, lingering is most definitely _not_ a good idea.

He has barely shut the door before she catches up. "No, no, _no_!" She screams and he all but runs to the controls. "Doctor, open the door." And even as far away as he is, he can hear her hands hitting the door. He starts the TARDIS up, setting the coordinates as far away as possible. "Doctor!" Her voice cracks with her scream.

His fingers tighten around the lever and he hesitates. Because it almost feels like he is betraying her; leaving her here, in this awful village. She hates it here, he knows she does. Only he knows she doesn't. As dull as it is, it's her home, it's her life. As much as it will kill her for him to do this, he knows she will survive. His Amy is too good, too bright, too _strong_ to not survive. More than survive, really. She will _live_. Maybe not the way she wants, but the way she needs. And he can't take that from her; won't take that from her.

He pulls the lever and sends the TARDIS off.

Afterwards, he's not sure how long he stands there, his head bent and his hands on the controls. It is too long, too short for the Time Lord to know. Because this is it, this is the start; the start of his new time alone. It's not the first time he has left a companion and it will not be the last. But still, _still_… it feels like the end. The end of his time with his Amy – his brave, clever, magnificent Amelia Pond. Finally, he lets go and steps away.

With a deep breath, he walks away and into the depths of the TARDIS.

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**"You will see the Doctor's life change forever, you will gasp in astonishment at the true nature of his relationship with Amy, and you will cry out in horror as Rory Williams stumbles to the brink of a tragic mistake."** – Steven Moffat

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**Note:** The original plan was only to have it in Amy's point of view, but Eleven really wanted his story to be told, too. I found the quote online when I was looking up season six and knew that I had to put it on here. Thanks to **Muffintine** for beta-ing.

Review, please.


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